What do Mallard ducks eat? I have a male and female that...

What do Mallard ducks eat? I have a male and female that drop into my yard everyday and all I know is that they will eat the bread that I throw out. I would like to feed them better food but don't know what they eat.
Thanks for your help.

Answer by madame library

Submitted on 5/10/2004

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The mallards around our house enjoy cleaning up the thistle seed that the song birds drop. They will also eat the seed that falls from the birdfeeder. They do not care for sunflower seeds. Cracked corn is supposed to be good for them. We have a female nesting in a flower box on our front porch, and we have put a cup of cracked corn in the flowerbox, which she devours. Do not put out too much cracked corn as it will absorb moisture. Hope this helps.

Answer by green andee

Submitted on 5/14/2004

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mallards eat bruised barley and barley they would not say no to a piece of bread and butter
Hope this helps

Answer by rainthedivadog

Submitted on 5/15/2004

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DOES ANYONE HAVE A ENGLISH SETTER???????

Answer by brandon

Submitted on 5/18/2004

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Mallard like corn and wheat. Put some in shallow water so if they go in the wild they can get it in the water.

Answer by parkmom

Submitted on 5/24/2004

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I have an English Setter - and my father-in-law is on his 3rd English Setter

Answer by b-jokes

Submitted on 6/8/2004

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do you have ps3 anyone?

Answer by al

Submitted on 6/16/2004

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you'll ave to wait a while for people to buy ps3's fist for your answer.

Answer by coolgirl A.K.A Jenn Marnoch

Submitted on 9/30/2004

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I did a study . malard ducks eat weeds from lakes they also eat bugs andsee weed, and stuff like that. pease call me if ya no me

Answer by Katrina

Submitted on 10/21/2004

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Does anyone know what white ducks that u can keep as pets eat???

Answer by Diane

Submitted on 11/1/2004

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Actually, not feeding them bread is a good idea. Bread isn't really good for them. My duck eats worms (either bought or dug) potato bugs, and other incects. As far as feeding them something special, I would say: wheat grass, cracked corn, even regular bird seed, but they must have plenty of water along with it. They also like cucumbers, lettuce, and various other veggies. Each duck is going to like different things I've found, they have their own little palate, so exsperiment. I do know if you go to the bait shop and get some of those big night crawlers, they will think your some kind of wonderful.
If you absolutely must feed them bread, try for as many whole grains as possible. In general bread is the least desirable option.

I have a PS3 But I need one more game for it and i will have them all What kind of a person would ask that though.

Answer by Ducky

Submitted on 11/29/2004

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Ducks come in bold and goofy colors.Their feet are perfect for swimming in water or walking in mud. They wear a warm suit of waterproof feathers, and they have a flat beak that works great for sloshing in shallow mud for food.

The design of a duck-perfect as it seems-is a result of adaptation. Adaptations help animals escape danger, find food and raise young.

Strong Beaks

Ducks don't have hands, so they need strong beaks to gather and hold food. Most ducks have wide, flat beaks. The duck's bill is soft, except at the end, which has a hard hook. Bumps along the edge of the beak help a duck strain food from water.

Many ducks feed by "dabbling," tipping forward and dipping their heads into the water. A duck sucks water in through its bill and squirts it out the sides. This allows it to strain out good stuff to eat, like plants, seeds and animals. To help sort the insects and seeds from mud, the edges of a duck's bill have touch receptors that can feel food.

Some other ducks, such as mergansers, have narrow beaks with sharp edges. These work like teeth to help them catch and hold fish. They are not real teeth, or even bone, but toothlike notches in their beaks.

Wing Power

If a duck needs to go somewhere fast, it flies. Duck bones are hollow to make the body light for easier flying. They beat their large wings constantly during flight. Powerful muscles in the duck's chest give it the strength to fly long distances. A migrating duck might travel nearly 1,000 miles in a single day, averaging more than 40 miles per hour. That's real power!

Floating Feathers

Water really does run off a duck's back. Duck feathers are coated with oil to make them waterproof. Ducks and other birds "preen," or comb, their feathers to keep them clean, neat and well-oiled.

Ducks have an oil gland on their back at the base of the upper tail feathers. They use their bill to spread oil from this gland onto the feathers. Head scratching moves the oil over the head feathers where the bill can't reach. The oil waterproofs the feathers and helps them stay together during flight. Ducks get into some pretty strange positions to preen all their feathers. Imagine, a green-winged teal has to groom about 11,500 feathers!

After a time, feathers wear out. That's why all ducks shed their feathers and grow new ones. This is called "molting." It happens twice a year with body feathers, and once a year with wing feathers.

Special air sacs blow up like balloons inside the duck's body to keep it floating on the water. When a duck dives, it empties the sacs so it can sink. A duck's feathers also hold air. The trapped air not only helps keep the duck warm, it helps it float. To dive, a duck flattens its feathers, removing the trapped air.

Wide Feet

Look at a duck's feet and you know how it makes its living. Long toes with skin between them work great for swimming or diving and for wading in mud and as rudders for flying.

Ducks waddle because their feet are short and far apart. As they walk, they must move from side to side, with the body swinging one direction and the tail swinging the other.

Dabble or Dive?

Ducks are split into two groups-dabblers and divers. Dabbling ducks spend most of their time in shallow water. They are also called puddle ducks. Diving ducks swim in deeper water. Each has special adaptations for living in their habitat.

A dabbling duck's feet are smaller and nearer to the front of its body. It usually skims food from the surface of the water or feeds in shallow water by tipping its bottom up so that its head and neck are underwater. Dabbling ducks eat a lot of plants, as well as tiny animals.

Dabblers sit high in the water and kick their feet one at a time to paddle along. They can dive when they are in danger, but they do not go very deep. A dabbler's wings are long and wide for its round body. They can take off easily from the water, springing straight up into the air from anywhere with just a few wing beats. They can land easily, too, sometimes dropping straight down into small openings in flooded forests. Examples of dabbling ducks are teal, mallards, pintails and shovelers.

The legs of diving ducks are far back on their bodies for better diving, but they look unbalanced on land. They walk straight up, moving their short legs carefully so they don't fall. Divers include canvasbacks, redheads, scaup and ruddy ducks.

Divers often go 20 feet underwater to find food. Extra large, webbed feet give them great diving power. Divers eat more animals, such as insects and snails. As divers go underwater for food, they squeeze the air out of their feathers and kick with both feet at the same time for a bigger push.

Divers have small wings and large bodies for better diving and swimming. They also have to work harder at flying. They fly faster than dabblers, but they also need lots of space for take-offs and landings. To take off, they must run along the surface of the water, flapping their wings and kicking their feet to pick up enough speed. Look out when a diver lands! They splash and slide across the water when they hit.

See for yourself the many adaptations that ducks have made to better survive in a wetland. You can watch ducks along most rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and wetlands. Watch for divers out in the open water. Look for dabblers along the shore playing and eating in the shallow water.

Answer by sally

Submitted on 12/4/2004

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I am going to be a new owner of a couple of ducks and I have no idea where to get the best food for them! I don't want to get something that is bad for them and harm them! Does any one have any suggestions?

Answer by jessica

Submitted on 1/7/2005

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My mallard duck eats my goldfish. Does anyone else have this problem?

Answer by emily and rachel

Submitted on 2/8/2005

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well i have 3 baby duck eggs well when they hatch what do they need to eat for nutrition and how can we tell if they are a boy or a girl.

Answer by $h3ll

Submitted on 2/9/2005

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HOW THE FU@$% AM I SUPOSED 2 NO

Answer by smartgirl12

Submitted on 3/12/2005

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Well, at my house there are these two Mallard ducks that come almost every year. I usually feed them any type of cereal. But don't feed them cereal with berries, strawberries or any type of fruit. And if you don't have any cereal lying around the house, just give them some bread. Yeah, I guess that pretty much works! Good luck!

Answer by thebrain12

Submitted on 3/13/2005

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Well, to me Mallard ducks eat cereal. These two Mallard ducks come to my backyard almost every day. I always feed them cereal without fruit in it. Your probably asking why. Well, I don't exactly know why but all I know is that they leave the fruit behind. You could also feed them bread. But remember, not with any fruit inside it. Thanks for reading my answer and I hope this helps.:)

Answer by yucksie

Submitted on 4/15/2005

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they like to eat any good food thats ggoooodd for them. i also have a ps3. its so much fun on line

Answer by 2

Submitted on 4/23/2005

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i have a duck in my pool

Answer by webbesite

Submitted on 4/25/2005

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ps3 dosn't exist, but there is somthing called a psp. its like a gameboy,but has a plasma screen, playes movies and mp3s, and has awesome graphic

Answer by st_jimmy25

Submitted on 4/28/2005

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some ducks eat seeds dropped by birds and some that i have like to eat popcorn.

Answer by val

Submitted on 4/29/2005

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Mallard ducks really like cracked corn. Bread is not good for them at all. It is not nutricious and it fills them up so they dont want to eat anything that is nutricious for them. Leave them some cracked corn in the same spot every time they come that way when they come they will go to that spot. It will let you know if they are hungry or not.

Answer by DUNNO

Submitted on 5/3/2005

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i have no idea what ducks eat

Answer by ozmas

Submitted on 5/4/2005

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eeerm, hi ps4 i av but i cant help u on ps3, i like ducks

Answer by pooky

Submitted on 5/8/2005

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I have a little duckling that I found in my backyard and I don't know what to feed it! Yes the bread is working but isn't there anything better?

Answer by skelton

Submitted on 5/23/2005

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the mallards talent is so good i like the mallards they are my best ducks i have ever saw i wouldn't mind to keep one as a pet i would treat them properly sure i would.

Answer by cheese

Submitted on 5/27/2005

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i have only 1 duck and it is a female and she loves to eat fresh worms or any type of bug really. but you need to feed them good foods because if you get duck eggs you need to give them good foods like breads let them wander around in the grass. then you'll get some good sized eggs.

Answer by due

Submitted on 6/4/2005

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no way man i ait gots?a .................... a.................. what agin

Answer by liz

Submitted on 6/11/2005

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what do ducklings eat, i had a nesting duck in my garden for three weeks now and her eggs have hatched, but what food can i put out for them?

Answer by kay

Submitted on 6/11/2005

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how come they dont like sunflower seeds...
well bread all ducks love bread and corn!if u also want to try something else some ducks like Berry's!

Answer by poo

Submitted on 6/23/2005

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they eat there own poo. I am a duck watcher

Answer by luke sky walker

Submitted on 6/24/2005

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i poop

Answer by Mama Duck

Submitted on 7/28/2005

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I have 2 mallard ducks that I raised from an egg they were abandoned will they eat worms???

Answer by marlow

Submitted on 9/26/2005

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i have a play station but its only ps... not ps3 or anything good like that...ughh it sucks so bad. oh yah and alicia loves robert. toe. kayla is also a retard and i love ducks! thanks guys!

Answer by foboysucker

Submitted on 10/4/2005

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some more stuff!

Answer by bt

Submitted on 10/4/2005

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i have a malard duck that goes into the pond and come out with a few fish. I find this quite odd but none the less that is bud's diet.

Answer by melanie

Submitted on 10/26/2005

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What do ducks eat?

Answer by Bob

Submitted on 11/9/2005

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Ducks eat little fish such as minows and bits of bread.

Answer by baby face

Submitted on 11/14/2005

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yep they eat those things

Answer by stephy

Submitted on 12/18/2005

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we have 2 ducks what should we feed them that we eat?

Answer by Debra Drabner

Submitted on 12/30/2005

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I was cleaning out my bird feeders 2 years ago and a couple of ducks flew in to clean up the seed and now 2 years later there are over 100 ducks that come to my front yard every morning in the winter to eat chicken scratch (cracked corn and wheat). Just be careful not to over do it. I do not live next door to any major bodies of water so where the ducks come from I will never know!

Answer by lynnygal3456

Submitted on 1/21/2006

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yea really what do mallards eat? I'm getting one soon and i really need to know what to feed them

Answer by BattyBaker

Submitted on 1/23/2006

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If any of you have a duck as a pet, I recommend it in a cage in the garage or outside. Make sure it has everything it needs so it doesn't wake you!!

Answer by T

Submitted on 2/7/2006

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HEY

Answer by mia

Submitted on 2/23/2006

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i hav 2 mallard ducks and i dunt noe whether they r allowed to eat chicken even though they r omnivores...i have been feeding them chicken most of the time..they like it.is that doing correct?

Answer by eeeeeeeeee

Submitted on 3/5/2006

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eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Answer by catyamy@hotmail.com

Submitted on 3/27/2006

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mallard duck is a god God bird I chose it for my bird project and its cool

Answer by animaldr.

Submitted on 4/12/2006

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we have a female mallard duck that had a male who came around our house, but now only the female is coming to our house. we give her corn and beard seed. what could happen to the female, will she find another male?

Answer by Duck Lover

Submitted on 4/22/2006

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Seeds and seeded breads are very bad for ducks. Seeds can cause painful digestive problems. Chocolate and other "treats" can be fatal (just as in dogs). Although ducks appear to enjoy treats of almost every variety, junk food causes malnutrition and leads to death in a surprisingly short time. A poorly fed duck will literally drown in its own fat, though you will not notice any outward physical signs. You will however notice sluggishness and aggressive behavior when they aren't eating right. Ducks should eat ONLY their staple food containing the recommended protein levels.

Please see he following URL for more details http://www.liveducks.com/care.html

Answer by classy chick

Submitted on 4/24/2006

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hey there should be more to this web sit than just this.dont you think? not really, just kidding.lol how many people actually like rap? well i know i do.

Answer by Lil' Quacker

Submitted on 5/7/2006

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i found a mallard duckling today with friends and we are taking care of it it is cold and cute so we are keeping it warm. i just wanted to share that. bye.

Answer by laura

Submitted on 8/2/2006

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i have a mallard in my backyard that eats bread and swims in my pool!!!!

Answer by monteypython

Submitted on 9/2/2006

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if you are raising newly born ducks, what should you feed them?

Answer by Shelly Mcdonald

Submitted on 10/12/2006

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If you have a duckling or duck i would most likely feed it mud worms or bread crumbs.
We have a duckling and we feed it bread and bread crumbs we haven't found any mud worms yet but were willing to try!

Answer by beanie

Submitted on 11/13/2006

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to get bits of the fallen food that has sunk to the bottom of the lake also to get the seaweed, moss at the bottom of the lake.

Answer by mallory or mal

Submitted on 11/18/2006

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well I agree with terry.

later,
love you all.

Answer by puddle

Submitted on 11/26/2006

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should we feed the duck in our pond?

Answer by Yo No

Submitted on 12/13/2006

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I am doing a essay on ducks thanks for all the info.

Answer by Matthew

Submitted on 12/21/2006

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what kinda of grasses could i plant in my field to attract ducks?

Answer by jj

Submitted on 12/27/2006

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what companys have duck chow?

Answer by matthew

Submitted on 1/15/2007

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what should i plant in my field to attract ducks? Thanks anything would help

Answer by nelcjdiugc

Submitted on 1/23/2007

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love feet

Answer by girly

Submitted on 2/25/2007

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they eat bread, and butter....i think......

Answer by aryanna

Submitted on 3/2/2007

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My female mallard duck(ming ming) eats french fries, duck/chicken feed that i get from tractor supply, small lizards, toads, corn, bread,icees, ice, and for her favorite..... CRICKETS! the duck is pretty healthy while on this diet although don't let them eat too much of the french fries, bread, small lizards, or toads. too much of this and you'll have a sick ducky.

Answer by lowrider567

Submitted on 3/8/2007

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dude like i have a playstation three

Answer by soph

Submitted on 4/6/2007

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soz i dont know but i do have a question ,i found an egg and i think it is a mallard egg i checked it was alive by putting the egg into a warm bowl of water if it sinks it is alive if it floats it is dead thankfully it is alive i have bought a nest thing for it and placed the egg in the nest on my heater but i am a bit worried if it will make it,i thing ive got a good easter egg this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer by alice gibbins

Submitted on 4/10/2007

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i have two wild ducks that come to my garden pond everyday.i give them bread and they seem to like it but i am worried about whether they will eat the tadpoles and fish in there.will they?

Answer by nacho

Submitted on 4/11/2007

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mallards will also eat the tops of brocolli,or garbanzo beans, lettuce, grapes,PLANTS!!!! and meal from the feed store. :)

Answer by Oak Bluff

Submitted on 4/23/2007

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Mallard ducks eat lots of things and people only write about ducks not ps3's!!

Answer by bg

Submitted on 4/24/2007

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i have a momma duck in my front yard that laid almost 9 eggs. my dog found out nd started chasing her out nd i was scared she wouldnt come back so i would like to leave her some food, so she would stay. i am not sure how many eggs are left because i have seen 2 eggs so far nd i am scared that there wont be any more left. so if anyone has any idea of what to feed this momma duck please let me know. oh yeah i think that is a mallard duck.

Answer by K-Lynn

Submitted on 4/25/2007

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All i no that they eat is bread...srry thats all i can give u.

Answer by Marek Biernacki

Submitted on 4/27/2007

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A duck ate me =(

Answer by danny

Submitted on 4/27/2007

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I have a couple. they came to my front door in an apartment complex. Really strange as i live in the middle of California suburbs...Anyways I feed them bread. they are wild birds. They dont need anything else. id say dont invest in them and just do the bread thing. You dont need to feed them.

Answer by Allie

Submitted on 4/28/2007

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I know that ducks do not eat bread because it makes them eat less healthy stuff.

i have a duck with a nest and i have no idea if i'm supposed to feed it or not.

Answer by foxlakefire

Submitted on 5/12/2007

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leave the birds alone dont harm them!!!!

i am right

Answer by Chantellly

Submitted on 5/15/2007

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I like ducks:)

Answer by Yo yo boo dawg!!!!!!

Submitted on 5/16/2007

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First of all who cares about ps3??????????
My teacher has to pet ducks and they eat mushed up food for ducks. By my grammes house ducks swim in the pool and eats the bread we through out for the birds and my Grammy lives by A pound.

Answer by rockie

Submitted on 5/22/2007

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i love you

Answer by kenzie

Submitted on 5/23/2007

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um ya guys all the information is great for people who have stray ducks or injured ducks everywhere but really believe me if i could i'dput more information on that is more usefull to students like me!!!! or than that you people are good on this site but does anyone know where i can find info on mallard ducks eating???????????

Answer by duckchick22

Submitted on 5/24/2007

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we had a duck living in our school pond and she eat the flapjack we through into it.

Answer by i kno it all

Submitted on 5/24/2007

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The mallards around our house enjoy cleaning up the thistle seed that the song birds drop. They will also eat the seed that falls from the birdfeeder. They do not care for sunflower seeds. Cracked corn is supposed to be good for them. We have a female nesting in a flower box on our front porch, and we have put a cup of cracked corn in the flowerbox, which she devours. Do not put out too much cracked corn as it will absorb moisture. Hope this helps.

Answer by zad

Submitted on 5/27/2007

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yall suk

Answer by skidoo09

Submitted on 5/28/2007

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Mallard ducks eat small fish, bread, corn, wheat and grass

Answer by tom tom

Submitted on 6/4/2007

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what wild life do they eat in a pond

Answer by pigeon toed

Submitted on 6/18/2007

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do not feed ducks white bread. It is very bad for them, just like us! White bread is NOT GOOD. You can feed them little bits of a cracked what bread, you know the kind your wife buys with 50 different seeds on it, I always told her that it was for the ducks!!! Hence, the ducks eat better than I!!

Answer by NanoTechWarrior

Submitted on 7/1/2007

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http://www.liveducks.com/faqs.html#whatdotheyeat

Answer by E.........E--

Submitted on 7/19/2007

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Thank you for this info.Two mallards flew into my yard and i didnt know what to feed them.

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